tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of tidy

tidier; tidiest

1 a : neat and orderly in appearance or habits : well ordered and cared for

b : methodical, precise

a tidy mind

2 : large, substantial

a tidy profit

3 : adequately satisfactory : acceptable, fair

a tidy solution to their problem

4 : properly filled out : plump

—

tidily

play \ˈtī-də-lē\ adverb

—

tidiness

play \ˈtī-dē-nəs\ noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

See tidy defined for kids

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

He has always been a tidy person.
She earns a tidy salary.
They paid a tidy sum for the house.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

With Liverpool holding aspirations of a title challenge, the Reds raced into an early 2-0 lead thanks to a tidy Sadio Mané finish and an audacious Divock Origi strike.

— SI.com, "Liverpool vs Bournemouth Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battles, Team News, Prediction & More," 13 Apr. 2018
The person who cleans their house because having a tidy home brings them joy does not have OCD.

— lily bailey, Health.com, "7 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About OCD, According to a Woman Who’s Had the Disorder All Her Life," 4 Apr. 2018
At Schaefer Elementary School, tidy classrooms and greenery sit across the street from the Coffey Park neighborhood, where more than 1,300 homes burned.

— stuart leavenworth, sacbee, "A ‘very difficult year’ – Sonoma schools still recovering from devastating fire | The Sacramento Bee," 2 Apr. 2018
The Nationals bullpen kept things tidy the last three innings and that was that.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: With Max Scherzer behind them, real season can begin for Cincinnati Reds," 30 Mar. 2018
Herrick marvels at the kindness of so many, including a dozen or so others who offered hard-to-find healing products that line one wall of his tight, tidy Del Mar office.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Trainer Herrick and resilient horse follow music back from the flames," 30 Mar. 2018
The Democrats’ tidy plan to sweep through Southern California in the 2018 elections en route to taking control of the House remains a crowded, often bare-knuckled scrap, with a final candidate deadline Thursday.

— joseph weber, Fox News, "In wild California primary, Democratic candidate sues over rivals' ballot entries, candidates eased out," 28 Mar. 2018
While their white contemporaries enjoyed M.L.B.’s tidy schedules and scrupulous statistics-keeping, the black players of the early 20th century made do with a mixture of official and unofficial contests across borders of league and nation.

— robert o’connell, New York Times, "Baseball’s Unappreciated Power Duo," 27 Mar. 2018
Which is a tidy way to describe Matthew's 17-point performance against Florida State in the most important game of the season.

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Secret to Michigan's Final Four run? John Beilein learned to have fun," 25 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tidy

Middle English, timely, in good condition, from tide time

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

tidy Synonyms

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy

tidied; tidying

transitive verb

: to put in order

tidy up a room

intransitive verb

: to make things tidy

tidying up after supper

—

tidier

noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

I tidied the house before they arrived.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

Now that spring is really here, this may be a good time to tidy up around the castle or manicure the grounds.

— ed silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: Sanofi warns Canada over industry treatment; Pfizer got a big boost from the new tax law," 13 Apr. 2018
Clean Up Cleveland, an annual citywide initiative to tidy up the town, is planned this year for Saturday, May 19.

— vanesa brashier, Houston Chronicle, "Teams, volunteers needed for Clean Up Cleveland on May 19," 9 Apr. 2018
For $32 a week, clients can claim one butler-like visit for tidying up and grocery shopping.

— kim komando, USA TODAY, "11 best innovative ways to make money online, and avoid the Internet job scams," 12 Jan. 2018
In this Japanese bestseller, Matsumoto describes everyday cleaning methods used in tidying Buddhist temples, and how these principles connect with Zen Buddhist philosophies of freedom from worldly desires.

— bridget read, Vogue, "7 Nonfiction Books to Change Your Life in 2018," 15 Jan. 2018
The owners opted for a self check-in process, but can often be seen on the grounds tidying up, cooking or mingling with guests.

— elizabeth finkelstein, Country Living, "This Adorable Texas Bed & Breakfast Just Hit the Market for $2.2M," 29 Jan. 2018
Seniors needing assistance with changing a light bulb, tidying up their yard or moving furniture now have a way to get assistance.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "RB Sunrise Rotarians to help seniors with small fix-it projects," 19 Jan. 2018
For years his sister Kelly, had come by every few weeks and tidied up hoping her younger brother would someday come back.

— chris outcalt, Longreads, "No Más Fantasía," 19 Dec. 2017
Tiffany has tidied the living room and her bedroom and is talking about staying up all night.

— brenda cain, cleveland.com, "Slavic Village fifth-grader excited to host first sleepover: A Greater Cleveland," 13 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of tidy

1821

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy

plural tidies

1 : a usually compartmentalized receptacle for various small objects

2 : a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

The most popular affordable robot vacuum A good robot vacuum can help you keep your home tidy between deep cleanings, and the Eufy RoboVac 11+ is the #1 best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon right now.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals for the first day of spring," 20 Mar. 2018
The truth escapes them that within a month, their designer efforts will be covered in old pizza boxes and dirty clothes exactly like the other rooms -- until mom shows up a day early for homecoming and tidies things up a bit.

— beth thames, AL.com, "Oprah for president? She's served her country already," 10 Jan. 2018
YOUR PROPERTY TIDY Have the lawn mowed, the plants watered and the pool cleaned.

— ronda kaysen, New York Times, "How to Protect Your House When You’re on Vacation," 14 July 2017
Buy Photo Erica Tunnell’s tidy row home in the Overbrook section of the city was swarmed Saturday by environmental activists, students and public health experts.

— chris mondics, Philly.com, "Activists, community groups test for lead," 24 June 2017

First Known Use of tidy

circa 1828

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TIDY Defined for English Language Learners

tidy

adjective

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: clean and organized : not messy
: keeping things clean and organized
of an amount of money : fairly large

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: to make (something) tidy : to make (something) clean and organized

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: a container for storing small items

TIDY Defined for Kids

tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

Definition of tidy for Students

tidier; tidiest

1 : well ordered and cared for : neat

2 : large, substantial

a tidy sum

—

tidiness

noun

History for tidy

The English word tidy comes from the word tide. Tide first meant “time,” and tidy first meant “timely, at the proper time.” Soon tidy came to mean “in good condition.” The current meaning “neat” developed from this sense.

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy for Students

tidied; tidying

: to make things neat

Learn More about tidy

See words that rhyme with tidy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tidy Spanish Central: Translation of tidy Nglish: Translation of tidy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tidy for Arabic speakers

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Definition of tidy

tidily

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Origin and Etymology of tidy

tidy Synonyms

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Antonyms

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tidy

Definition of tidy

tidier

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tidy

Definition of tidy

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TIDY Defined for English Language Learners

tidy

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

tidy

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

tidy

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

TIDY Defined for Kids

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tidy

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